Top 8 Profile: Marco Lombardi

Rui Oliveira

In almost every Top 8 you have someone who is a little bewildered by how far he made it. Sixteen-year old Marco Lombardi is the youngest, and maybe the happiest to reach the Elite eight.

Last year he missed the Italian Nationals Top 8, ending in the bittersweet ninth. This year he came back with a vengeance, finishing Grand Prix-Naples in the Top 32 and breezing through Nationals to a fifth place.

Standard right now is the kind of format Marco really enjoys. He likes to whole Madness mechanic and the several layers of card advantage most decks have to deal with. Normally an aggro-control fan today he decided play Trenches. When asked what card he would like to see reprinted he smiled and answered Tradewind Rider.

He came into Amsterdam hoping to maybe get a Top 32 to help pay his trip to Sydney for Worlds. Making the Top 8 probably took care of that part. Now he needs to focus on making a run for the top title before enjoying his trip to Worlds. Being the second of four Magic-playing brothers he probably has a large supporting cast in Italy right now.